Syagrus (plant) explained

Syagrus is a genus of Arecaceae (palms), native to South America, with one species endemic to the Lesser Antilles.[1] The genus is closely related to the Cocos, or coconut genus, and many Syagrus species produce edible seeds similar to the coconut.

Description

Palms in this genus usually have solitary stems; clustered stems are less common, and a few are stolon-like subterranean. The stems are normally spineless, but some species have spiny leaf sheaths or spines. Those species that have upright trunks grow NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) tall with stems that are in diameter.

The leaves of all but one species, S. smithii, are pinnately compound. Leaf sheaths are split along their entire length, and consequently, crownshafts are not present in this genus. The transition from the leaf sheath to the petiole can be gradual and difficult to identify, but in species where they can be distinguished, leaf sheaths are NaN0NaN0 long and the petioles are NaN0NaN0.

The inflorescences are unbranched or branch once; a single hybrid, S. × lacerdamourae, occasionally shows second-order branching, and emerge from between the leaves. They are monoecious, with both male and female flowers borne in the same inflorescence. The fruit are drupes, which vary in colour from green to orange to brown. They range in size from NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) in length, and NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) in diameter.

Taxonomy

Syagrus has been placed in the subfamily Arecoideae, the tribe Cocoseae and the subtribe Attaleinae, together with the genera Allagoptera, Attalea, Beccariophoenix, Butia, Cocos, Jubaea, Jubaeopsis, Parajubaea, and Voanioala.[2]

The genus Lytocaryum is now included in Syagrus.[3] It has been treated as a distinct genus, differentiated only by abundant tomentum, strongly versatile anthers, and slight differences in the pericarp.[4]

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species and hybrids:[5]

Hybrids

Formerly placed here

Distribution

Syagrus is an almost entirely South American genus. The only non-South American species, S. amara, is endemic to five islands in the Lesser Antilles. The genus is found from sea level to elevations of 1800-2NaN-2above sea level.[7]

Ecology

S. coronata nuts are the favored food of Lear's macaw, whose bill size and shape are particularly adapted to crack them.[8]

Syagrus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Batrachedra nuciferae (recorded on S. coronae) and Paysandisia archon (recorded on S. romanzoffiana).

Cultivation and uses

Syagrus weddellianum is a commonly potted plant throughout Europe. It prefers shade and rich, friable, quickly draining soil with some acidity.[9]

References

Notes and References

  1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=198777 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Dransfield. John. Natalie W. Uhl . Conny B. Asmussen . William J. Baker . Madeline M. Harley . Carl E. Lewis . 2005. A New Phylogenetic Classification of the Palm Family, Arecaceae. Kew Bulletin. 60. 4. 559–69. 25070242.
  3. Noblick. Larry R.. Meerow. Alan W.. 2015. The Transfer of the Genus Lytocaryum to Syagrus. Palms. 59. 57–62.
  4. Uhl, Natalie W. and Dransfield, John (1987) Genera Palmarum - A classification of palms based on the work of Harold E. Moore. Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press. /
  5. Syagrus Mart... 60437282-2. 2024-05-17. cs1.
  6. Sant'Anna-Santos . Bruno Francisco . Carvalho . Luiz Fernando Lima . Soffiatti . Patricia . A New Rupicolous Palm from the Campos Rupestres, Minas Gerais, Brazil . Edinburgh Journal of Botany . 80 . 2023-07-13 . 1474-0036 . 10.24823/ejb.2023.1974 . 1–15. free .
  7. Noblick. Larry R.. 2017-02-01. A revision of the genus Syagrus (Arecaceae). Phytotaxa. 294. 1. 1. 10.11646/phytotaxa.294.1.1. 1179-3163. free.
  8. Yamashita . Carlos . de Paula Valle . Mauro . 1993 . On the linkage between Anodorhynchus macaws and palm nuts, and the extinction of the Glaucous Macaw . . 113 . 53–60 .
  9. Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Portland: Timber Press. /

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